The New York Police Department’s top official reiterated his defense Monday of the department’s aggressive intelligence-gathering operations, saying there’s no need to apologize for keeping tabs on some Muslims if that’s what it takes to protect the city.

“Not everybody is going to be happy with everything the police department does, that’s the nature of our business,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. “But our primary mission, our primary goal, is to keep this city safe, to save lives. That’s what we’re engaged in doing.”

Kelly’s comments to reporters Monday were the latest in a recent string of public statements in response to reports by The Associated Press about the NYPD’s surveillance on Muslims across the Northeast following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.